1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system, and program for monitoring a consumable resource used by a system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many printers today provide some alert when certain printer resources are close to becoming depleted or have been depleted. For instance, printers typically include a small Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen to display a message that toner is low, paper is out, etc. Further many printer vendors include with the printer driver a program that displays at a computer connected to the printer messages alerting users that paper is out, toner is low, fuser oil is low, etc. To implement such alert systems, sensors are used to detect when a resource is depleted. For instance, the paper tray would include an electrical or electromechanical sensor to detect when the paper tray is empty. A toner and oil cartridge would include sensors to detect when the toner level is near or at empty. The sensor, upon detecting that the resource is close to or at depletion, would signal the printer processor and the printer processor would, in response, send an alert message to an LCD screen at the printer or to a printer management software program running on an attached computer.
The above described prior art provides status information at a point when the resource is near or at depletion level. Notwithstanding, there is a need in the art to provide additional status information on the consumption of printer resources, such as paper, toner, oil, etc., before the resource reaches depletion level to allow for more active monitoring and maintenance of printers.